Peace of mind is, at best, a hopeless recluse. Far more likely, it “exists” as a gentle fiction. Indeed there are times I suspect it an outright lie. I groped gloomily for a measure of sanity while engaging in this morning’s run. Absolutism may be cold comfort but its razor-wire confines terrify me. Some duality must exist, as all cannot be the dispirited grubbing of chili. There ought to be space for more and for kindness.

Day 221

Ingredients:

1 lb of carrots, peeled and shredded

2 T butter

½ can of sweetened coconut milk (as the mathematically-endowed already know- half a 13.5 oz can is 6.75 oz)

Peeling and shredded carrots affords further time for calm reflection. While it may be criminal in the eyes of fellow chiliheads, I opted to make two batches- one of which was cooked sans chili ingredients. This in deference to some ITP members who have grown wary of the daily grind. Embodied here is that dualism- the chili existence and the non-chili reality. As polarization is sickeningly profitable, modern society goes out of its way to promote extreme opinions. Life need not be an unending series of starkly contrasting actualisms. With this in mind, here is what the ITP found:

Both versions tasted very good and between the two, the flavor profile was similar. The difference was this: The chili version finished with an appropriately spicy flourish while the non-chili adaptation ended up pleasingly dessert-sweet.